Just wanted to add my experience here - I went through almost the exact same situation two years ago with my father-in-law. We ended up doing the durable power of attorney route and it's been perfect. The bank was super helpful once we brought in the POA documents, and I've been able to handle all his bills and banking without any FAFSA complications for my kids. One tip: make sure to ask the bank specifically about their POA requirements when you call ahead - some want the documents notarized in a certain way or need specific language included. Also, if your mom is still mentally sharp (which it sounds like she is), having her present when you set everything up makes the whole process smoother. The peace of mind knowing I can help him financially without messing up my kids' college aid has been worth every penny we spent on the lawyer!

Great question about timing the bank visit! From my experience, most banks will accept valid POA documents even if the account holder isn't present, but having them there definitely eliminates any potential pushback from bank staff who might be overly cautious. Some tellers or even managers aren't super familiar with POA procedures, so having your mom there to verbally confirm she wants you to have access just removes any doubt. That said, if she has a particularly bad day when you need to use the POA, the legal document should be sufficient on its own - that's the whole point of having it! I'd recommend going on one of her good days for the initial setup, but don't stress too much about future visits. Once you're in their system with POA authority, routine transactions should be smooth sailing.

As another newcomer to this community facing the exact same situation, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly detailed discussion! My daughter will also be 17 when she starts college this fall, and I was honestly feeling pretty panicked about the financial aid process until I found this thread. The practical advice here has been game-changing - especially learning about specialized staff for minor student cases and the flexibility around timing with 18th birthdays. I had no idea that emergency loan programs existed or that you could start the MPN process early to avoid last-minute complications. One additional question I haven't seen addressed - for those who've been through this, did you find any differences in how private vs public schools handle the minor student loan process? We're looking at both types and I'm wondering if one tends to be more streamlined than the other. Also, has anyone had success getting schools to provide more detailed loan information before the official award letters come out? I'm eager to understand our options as early as possible to help with decision-making. Thanks again to this amazing community for sharing such valuable real-world experience!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my perspective as someone currently going through this exact situation! My son will be 17 when he starts college this fall, and this thread has been incredibly enlightening. One thing I discovered that might help others - some schools have online portals where you can view preliminary loan eligibility even before the official award letters are sent. I found this by logging into the student financial services portal at one of our target schools and clicking on "View Aid Estimates." It showed federal loan amounts he'd be eligible for, which helped ease my anxiety about options. Also, I wanted to mention that when I called our state's student aid office, they told me about a program called "College Goal Sunday" - it's a free event where volunteers help families complete FAFSA forms and answer financial aid questions. While we'd already submitted our FAFSA, they said they also do follow-up counseling sessions specifically for families with unique situations like minor students. Might be worth checking if your state has something similar! The reassurance I'm getting from this community has been invaluable. It's such a relief to know we're not alone in navigating these waters, and that there are actually quite a few resources and options available once you know where to look. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so generously!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the changes this year! My daughter is a high school senior and we just got our SAI back - it's around 9,400. I keep reading conflicting information online about whether this is a good number or not, and I have no idea how it compares to the old EFC system since we never went through that. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful though! It sounds like most people are seeing better aid packages with the new SAI system, especially families with multiple kids in college. We only have one going this year, but it's reassuring to hear that the lower numbers generally mean more aid eligibility. Can anyone share what they think a SAI of 9,400 might mean for aid eligibility? I know it varies by school, but I'm just trying to get a general sense of whether we should be optimistic or start preparing for full-pay scenarios. The waiting for actual aid packages is killing me!

I'm jumping in as someone who works at a college financial aid office and wanted to add some reassurance from the institutional perspective! We've been seeing a lot of families with similar SAI drops this year, and in almost every case, students are qualifying for more aid than they would have under the old EFC system. The 4,000 point drop you mentioned is actually quite common for families with two students in college. The new SAI formula handles multiple enrollments differently than the old system, and it's generally working in families' favor. We've had several cases where students who barely qualified for any need-based aid last year are now eligible for substantial grant packages. One thing to keep in mind: while federal aid eligibility is directly tied to your SAI, many schools are also revising their institutional aid formulas to be more generous alongside the new system. At our institution, we've increased our need-based grant funding by about 15% this year specifically to take advantage of the new calculations. My advice would be to wait for the actual aid offers before worrying too much. Based on what I'm seeing across our applicant pool, families are generally very pleasantly surprised by their aid packages this year!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who works in college admissions! The electronic transmission system between Federal Student Aid and colleges is actually very robust and reliable. We receive hundreds of FAFSA records daily during peak season through secure data transfers. One thing that might help ease your anxiety: schools have dedicated staff whose job is specifically to monitor and process incoming FAFSA data. We have systems in place to catch any missing records and follow up if needed. If you're still worried after a week or two, don't hesitate to reach out to each school's financial aid office directly. We're used to these questions and happy to confirm receipt! Most offices also have online portals where you can check your financial aid document status 24/7. The fact that you submitted early shows you're on top of things - that's exactly what we like to see from prospective students. The system will work as designed, and your schools will receive your information!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can definitely relate to your anxiety! The electronic transmission system really does work automatically - once your FAFSA is processed and shows your SAI on studentaid.gov, schools receive your data within 3-5 business days through the federal database. What helped me manage my stress was setting a reminder in my phone to check each school's financial aid portal exactly one week after my FAFSA showed as "processed." Most schools had already received and logged my information by then. For the couple that hadn't updated their systems yet, I sent brief emails to their financial aid offices asking for confirmation, and they all responded within 24-48 hours. One thing that really put my mind at ease was learning that this system successfully processes over 17 million FAFSA applications every year - it's designed to handle high volume reliably. The schools are expecting this data and have systems in place to receive it automatically. Since your application deadlines are separate from FAFSA priority deadlines (which are usually much later), you have plenty of time. Just keep that confirmation email/screenshot of your submission, and you'll be all set! The system will do its job behind the scenes.

As a newcomer to this whole process, I'm finding this discussion incredibly helpful but also a bit overwhelming! My daughter is just starting her junior year and I'm trying to get ahead of understanding all this. From what I'm reading, it sounds like the key is to ask each school directly about their specific policies rather than making assumptions. Can anyone recommend the best timing for these conversations? Should we wait until she actually receives merit offers, or is it worth asking about displacement policies during campus visits now? Also, are there any resources or websites that track which schools typically stack vs. displace? It seems like this information isn't always easy to find on school websites. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's helping me feel more prepared for what's coming!

As a parent who just went through this process last year, I want to emphasize something that hasn't been mentioned yet - TIMING matters when calling financial aid offices! I found the best time to reach someone knowledgeable was mid-morning on Tuesdays through Thursdays. Mondays they're swamped with weekend calls, and Fridays many staff leave early. Also, don't just accept the first answer you get if it's not detailed enough. I had to call my daughter's school three times before I got someone who could walk through their displacement policy step-by-step with actual numbers. The first two reps just gave me generic responses about "evaluating each case individually." One more tip: if the school uses work-study as part of their need-based package, ask specifically if merit scholarships will reduce the work-study portion first. Some schools will replace work-study with merit money, which is actually beneficial since your daughter won't have to work those hours and can focus more on academics. That $18,500 merit award is fantastic - don't let the displacement concern overshadow celebrating your daughter's achievement!